adekvat

Adekvat is an adjective used in Scandinavian languages to express that something meets the required standard or is fit for a particular purpose. It translates to “adequate” in English and is applied across everyday language, media, education, business, and public policy. In Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish contexts, adekvat describes sufficiency rather than excellence, as in adekvat funding, adekvat level of detail, or adekvat safety measures. In English-language texts, the explicit usage of the term is uncommon, and adekvat is typically rendered as “adequate” or “sufficient.”

Etymology and spelling: The word derives from Latin aequatus via Romance languages; in the modern Scandinavian languages it was adopted in the 19th to 20th centuries. Spelling is adekvat in Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish, with capitalization only at the start of a sentence or in titles.

Usage notes: Adequacy and adequateness are the corresponding nouns. The term is neutral and formal, suitable for policy documents and academic writing. In translation, care should be taken to maintain the intended degree of sufficiency; overstatement may shift meaning toward “acceptable” or “sufficient but not ideal.”

See also: Adequacy, Adequate, Sufficiency, Appropriateness.